Protective cap for a dispenser and dispenser for discharging pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic liquids

Abstract

A protective cap for a dispenser for discharging pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic liquids, wherein the dispenser has a liquid reservoir and an outlet opening through which the liquid can be dispensed into a surrounding atmosphere, and wherein the protective cap has at least one ventilation opening to allow communication between an interior and external surroundings. An irreversibly removable sealing element which covers the at least one ventilation opening is arranged on the protective cap, which sealing element closes the at least one ventilation opening in an airtight and germproof manner before a first use.

Claims

1. A discharge device for discharging pharmaceutical or cosmetic liquids, said discharge device comprising: a dispenser, said dispenser comprising: a liquid reservoir; and an exit opening through which liquid located in said liquid reservoir is discharged into a surrounding atmosphere; a protective cap configured for repeated removal from, and repeated attachment to, said dispenser, said cap comprising: a wall in which at least one ventilation opening is disposed, said ventilation opening permitting communication between an interior of said cap and the surrounding atmosphere; and an irreversibly removable sealing element disposed to cover said ventilation opening such that said ventilation opening is closed in an air-tight and germ-proof manner prior to said discharge device being used for the first time, said sealing element being configured as a pull-off lug injection molded on said cap.

2. The discharge device of claim 1, wherein said cap and said pull-off lug together comprise a unitary one-piece component.

3. The discharge device of claim 2, wherein said pull-off lug is attached to said cap by a material weakening disposed at a predetermined breaking point to permit complete removal and detachment of said pull-off lug from said cap.

4. The discharge device of claim 1, wherein said cap and said pull-off lug comprise a one-piece injection-molded component.

5. The discharge device of claim 1, wherein said pull-off lug is attached to said cap by a material weakening disposed at a predetermined breaking point to permit complete removal and detachment of said pull-off lug from said cap.

6. The discharge device of claim 1, wherein said protective cap comprises a cover portion and a cylindrical skirt portion connected thereto, said ventilation opening being disposed in one of said cover portion or said cylindrical skirt portion.

7. The discharge device of claim 1, further comprising a tamperproof seal, said pull-off lug being connected to said tamperproof seal such that said pull-off lug is released when said tamperproof seal is removed.

8. The discharge device of claim 1, further including an absorber element disposed adjacent an inner side of said protective cap in a region of said ventilation opening, said absorber element comprising filter properties.

9. The discharge device of claim 8, wherein said absorber element comprises a microfiltration membrane or an ultrafiltration membrane.

10. A discharge device for discharging pharmaceutical or cosmetic liquids, said discharge device comprising: a dispenser, said dispenser including a container body defining therein a liquid reservoir, an outlet channel, and a droplet-forming exit opening through which liquid located in said liquid reservoir is discharged into a surrounding atmosphere, said dispenser further including a valve disposed to regulate flow of liquid through said outlet channel between said liquid reservoir and said exit opening; and a protective cap fastened to said container body and configured for repeated removal from, and repeated attachment to, said container body, said cap comprising a wall in which at least one ventilation opening is disposed and a pull-off lug formed integrally and in one-piece with said cap, said pull-off lug being attached to said cap by a material weakening disposed at a predetermined breaking point to permit complete removal and detachment of said pull-off lug from said cap, said pull-off lug being disposed to cover and seal said ventilation opening when said cap is fastened to said container body and before a first use of said discharge device such that said ventilation opening is closed in an air-tight and germ-proof manner, said ventilation opening permitting communication between said droplet-forming exit opening of said container body and the surrounding atmosphere after removal of said pull-off lug from said cap to permit evaporation of residual liquid located at said droplet forming exit opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages and aspects of the invention can be gathered not just from the claims, but also from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, which will be explained hereinbelow with reference to the figures. The drawings use like reference signs to denote the same or similar components. Features illustrated or described as part of an exemplary embodiment can likewise be used in a different exemplary embodiment in order to achieve a further embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a sectional illustration of a dispenser for discharging pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic liquids,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a protective cap for the dispenser according to FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a protective cap for the dispenser according to FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an overall perspective illustration of a discharging device comprising a dispenser and a protective cap,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a sectional illustration of the discharging device according to FIG. 4,

(7) FIG. 6 shows an overall perspective illustration of an alternative configuration of a discharging device comprising a dispenser and a protective cap,

(8) FIG. 7 shows a sectional illustration of the discharging device according to FIG. 6,

(9) FIG. 8 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a protective cap for the dispenser according to FIG. 1, and

(10) FIG. 9 shows yet another exemplary embodiment of a protective cap for the dispenser according to FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(11) FIG. 1 shows, in the first instance, a dispenser 2 which is intended for discharging pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic liquids and is suitable, in particular, for unpreserved ophthalmic preparations.

(12) Said dispenser 2 has a liquid reservoir 21, which is delimited by a container body 20. The liquid 4 is stored in the liquid reservoir 21. An outlet subassembly 22 has been placed in position, and fastened by means of a latching connection, on the container body 20. Said outlet subassembly 22 serves for directing liquid from the liquid reservoir 21 to an exit opening 24 through an outlet channel 23. The exit opening 24 illustrated is configured in the form of a droplet-forming surface and widens conically in the discharging direction.

(13) On account of the section plane in FIG. 1, the latter illustrates merely a final part of the outlet channel 23. The outlet channel 23 has arranged in it an outlet valve 25 which, in a closed state, closes the outlet channel 23, and therefore liquid located downstream of the outlet valve 25, as seen in the discharging direction, cannot pass back into the liquid reservoir 21. The outlet valve 25 illustrated comprises a valve body 27, which can be adjusted counter to the force of a restoring spring 26 and interacts with a valve seat 28 formed on a housing wall. Air flows into the liquid reservoir 21, for pressure-equalization purposes, via a filter element 29. In advantageous configurations, the filter element 29 comprises a liquid filter, which is oriented in the direction of the liquid reservoir 21, and a bacteria filter, which is oriented away from the liquid reservoir 21 and has a cutoff of approximately 0.2 ?m, so that bacteria of a size of approximately 0.2 to approximately 5 ?m are reliably held back by the bacteria filter.

(14) The dispenser 2 illustrated is configured in the form of a so-called squeeze bottle. Said dispenser 2 is used by being placed upside down with the exit opening 24 oriented downward. Thereafter, walls of the container body 20 are pressed together in order for the liquid 4 in the liquid reservoir 21 to be subjected to pressure. This pressure causes the outlet valve 25 to open. More specifically, as soon as the liquid pressure in a part of the outlet channel 23 upstream of the outlet valve 25 is sufficiently high, the valve body 27 shifts counter to the force of the restoring spring 26 as a result of said pressure and frees the path for the liquid in the direction of the exit opening 24.

(15) Following a discharging operation, the outlet valve 25 is closed again. It is usual here for a residue of the liquid, the so-called residual droplet, to remain at the exit opening 24, configured in the form of the droplet-forming surface, and in a part of the outlet channel 23 assigned to the exit opening 24 and located downstream of the outlet valve 25 as seen in the discharging direction. The outlet valve 25, which opens in a pressure-dependent manner, precludes any possibility of the liquid flowing back into the liquid reservoir 12.

(16) Without a protective cap being placed in position, the residual droplets can dry up rapidly. In order to make it possible for rapid drying also to take place when the protective cap has been placed in position, protective caps of the type in question have at least one ventilation opening.

(17) FIGS. 2 and 3 show a first and a second exemplary embodiment of a protective cap 3 for the dispenser 2 according to FIG. 1. The protective caps 3 illustrated each have a plurality of ventilation openings 30 in order for an interior 31 to communicate with exterior surroundings. The protective caps 3 each comprise a cylindrical portion 32 and a cover portion 33 connected thereto. In the case of the protective cap 3 according to FIG. 2, the ventilation openings 30 are provided on the cylindrical portion 32. In the case of the protective cap 3 according to FIG. 3, the ventilation openings 30 are provided on the cover portion 33. The number of ventilation openings 30 can be selected appropriately in each case by a person skilled in the art. In preferred embodiments, the protective caps 3 according to FIGS. 2 and 3 each have four uniformly distributed ventilation openings 30. The protective caps 3 are each produced in the form of an injection molding and have a tamperproof seal 34, which is to be removed when the dispenser is used for the first time. In addition, latching elements 35 for latching to the dispenser 2 according to FIG. 1 are provided on an inner wall. The latching elements 35 here are configured such that they prevent the protective cap 3 from being removed, and/or the outlet subassembly 22 from being pulled off, from the container body 20 without the tamperproof seal 34 being removed. The protective cap 3, in addition, is configured such that it is possible for the protective cap 3 to be repeatedly removed from the dispenser 2 and be placed in position with clamping action thereon. For this purpose, the protective cap 3 is deformed to a slight extent when being placed in position, and therefore the elastic restoring forces of the protective cap 3 produced from plastics material generate a clamping action. In other configurations, latching elements are provided for this purpose.

(18) According to the application, the protective cap 3 has arranged on it an irreversibly removable sealing element, which covers the ventilation openings and by means of which the ventilation openings 30 are closed in an air-tight and germ-proof manner prior to the dispenser being used for the first time. In other words, the sealing element prevents germs from being introduced into an interior 31 of the protective cap 3 via the ventilation openings 30 prior to the dispenser being used for the first time.

(19) In the embodiments according to FIGS. 2 and 3, the sealing element is designed in the form of an air-tight and germ-proof film wrapper 5.

(20) The film wrapper 5 according to FIG. 2 is configured in the form of a wraparound film label which is in the form of a sleeve and is provided on the cylindrical portion 32, in the region of the ventilation openings 30. The film wrapper 5 illustrated is welded to the protective cap 3 along the peripheral regions 50. The film wrapper 5 preferably has a lug or the like (not illustrated), which can be gripped for the purpose of removing the film wrapper 5.

(21) The film wrapper 5 according to FIG. 3 is configured in the form of a closed wraparound film label and covers essentially the entire protective cap 3. The film wrapper 5 illustrated is connected to the tamperproof seal 34, for example it is welded or adhesively bonded thereto and can thus be removed therewith.

(22) FIGS. 4 to 7 show two configurations of a discharging device 1 comprising a dispenser 2 according to FIG. 1 and a protective cap 3 in an overall perspective illustration (FIGS. 4 and 6) and a sectional illustration (FIGS. 5 and 7). For a description of the dispenser 2, you are referred to the text above. The protective cap 3 according to FIGS. 4 to 7 likewise corresponds essentially to the protective cap 3 according to FIGS. 2 and 3, and like reference signs are used for the same or similar components.

(23) FIG. 8 shows a protective cap 3 similar to FIG. 3 with ventilation openings 30 provided on the cover portion 33.

(24) In the embodiments according to FIGS. 4 to 8, the sealing element is designed in the form of an air-tight and germ-proof adhesive label 6.

(25) According to the configurations of FIGS. 4 to 7, an adhesive label 6 is arranged on an outer side of the protective cap 3, in the region of the ventilation openings 30. In the case of the configuration according to FIG. 8, the adhesive label 6 is arranged on an inner side of the protective cap 3, in the region of the ventilation openings 30.

(26) In the case of the protective cap 3 according to FIGS. 4 and 5, the ventilation openings 30 are provided in the cover portion 33 and the strip-form adhesive label 6 extends from a region which surrounds the ventilation openings 30 in the cover portion 33, via a region running parallel to the longitudinal axis of the protective cap 3, to the tamperproof seal 34. The adhesive label 6 according to FIGS. 4 and 5 is thus of sufficiently large dimensions to allow for text with instructions for use or the like (not illustrated). The adhesive label 6 is also connected to the tamperproof seal 34, so that the adhesive label 6 can be released when the tamperproof seal is removed, and can therefore easily be pulled off by a user. In addition, the adhesive label 6 has a tear-open lug 60, by means of which a user can grip the adhesive label 6 in order to pull it off.

(27) In the case of the protective cap 3 according to FIGS. 6 and 7, the ventilation openings 30 are likewise provided in the cover portion 33. However, the strip-form adhesive label 6, rather than extending to the tamperproof seal 34, extends only over a region which surrounds the ventilation openings 30 in the cover portion 33. A tear-open lug 60 is provided for the removal of the adhesive label 6. The cover portion 33 has an aperture 330, by way of which it is ensured that the tear-open lug 60 can be gripped straightforwardly.

(28) It is also the case for the protective cap 3 according to FIG. 8 that the ventilation openings 30 are provided in the cover portion 33. The strip-form adhesive label 6 is fitted on an inner side of the cover portion 33 and has a tear-open lug 60 for removal purposes. On account of the complex handling, this ensures that a user, once he has pulled off the adhesive label 6, cannot fit the latter on the inner side again. In advantageous configurations, the adhesive label 6 is fitted such that, when the protective cap 3 is pulled off in order for the dispenser to be used for the first time, the adhesive label is at least released, and preferably pulled off altogether, automatically, i.e. without any additional measures being taken by the user.

(29) FIG. 9 shows a protective cap 3 similar to FIGS. 3 and 8 with ventilation openings 30 provided on the cover portion 33, wherein the sealing element is designed in the form of a pull-off lug 7 injection molded on the protective cap 3. The protective cap 3 and the pull-off lug 7 can be produced in the form of a joint component, in particular in the form of an injection molding. It is preferable here for predetermined breaking points in the form of material weakenings 7 or the like to be provided in a predetermined breaking region between the pull-off lug 7 and the protective cap 3. The pull-off lug 7 illustrated here has a projecting end which can be gripped by the user. In a different configuration, the pull-off lug 7 is coupled to the tamperproof seal 34, so that removal of the tamperproof seal causes the pull-off lug to be removed. This results in particularly straightforward handling for a user.

(30) Once the sealing element 5, 6, 7 has been removed, the ventilation openings assist in rapid drying. In additionas illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 4 to 7in one configuration, an absorber element 8, which assists in rapid drying of the dispenser 2 as a result of the liquid being transported away, is provided on an inner side of the protective cap 3, in the region of the ventilation openings. The absorber element 8 has hydrophilic properties. The residual droplet is absorbed and distributed by the absorber element, and this therefore ensures rapid drying. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the absorber element 8 is arranged parallel to the cover portion 33, and covers the ventilation openings 30. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, for the purpose of fastening the absorber element 8, latching arms 37 are provided on the protective cap 3, on an inner side of the cover portion 33. As can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 7, when the protective cap 3 is in the latched-on state, the absorber element 8 is in contact with a point at the top of the dispenser 2, assigned to the exit opening 24.

(31) Once the sealing element 5, 6, 7 has been removed, a usually tolerable introduction of germs via the ventilation openings 30 is conceivable. In order to alleviate the problem of germs being introduced via said ventilation opening 30 in critical applications, the absorber element 8, in one configuration, is configured in the form of a microfiltration membrane. The microfiltration membrane has a cutoff of approximately 0.2 ?m, and therefore bacteria of a size of approximately 0.2 to approximately 5 ?m are reliably held back. As an alternative, or in addition, one configuration provides for the surfaces on which residual droplets collect downstream of the outlet valve 25 to be antibacterial.